1) Is being an intern part of your program or something you chose to do?

Being an intern is something I chose to do. I also realized it is something I needed to do to make myself more marketable to potential employers once I graduate college because in today’s job market having a diploma isn’t simply enough, you need the extra real world experience.

2) If you chose to do it, what did you hope would happen during your internship?

I hoped I would be able to work on projects that would start me on my path to a marketing career, because I didn’t really have marketing experience outside of the classroom before, and I was really excited to be given the chance.

3) Is your internship part of a class for which you receive a grade? If so, what is your grade based on?

My internship is part of a Pass/Fail class. However, the instructor said to treat the class like you were working towards an A. Our Pass was based on employee evaluation and completion of 100 hours. We also worked all semester towards compiling a final business portfolio, which includes an updated resume, an elevator pitch (which now I guess I’ll have to make into 140 characters hah), and a couple other important things that would be valuable to present at a job interview.

4) If you’re a paid intern, is the wage something Virginia Tech negotiates with the employer or something you negotiate?

It was unpaid, but the experience I gained really was payment enough!

5) If you could give suggestions to companies considering hosting an intern, what 3 pieces of advice would you offer to a) give the intern a great experience, and b) inspire the intern to give his or her best?

I would tell them to let the intern know it’s okay to ask questions if they don’t understand something because it’s better to clear something up than to have it done incorrectly.

Share their own experiences to make the intern feel like they’ve been in their shoes at some point is always nice. I know I appreciated it when Nanci [Hardwick, CEO of Schultz-Creehan] told me an anecdotal story about building business relationships.

Just getting a thank you for a job well done goes a long way. Especially since we’re starting out, we don’t want to be discouraged early on. I think I’m a little too optimistic about things like that though.